Susan Jefferson

Bed bugs are the sort of pest that might not cross your mind unless you are travelling around the world, but rather than being a thing of the past bed bugs are actually increasing in the UK and becoming a real pest control problem. While bed bugs were once a common pest problem in the UK, they had largely been eliminated from homes, but an increase in travel has seen a fairly rapid rise in reports of local infestations in Birmingham , Manchester , London , Bristol and across many parts of the UK. How to spot a bed bug Despite their name, you can actually find bed bugs pretty much anywhere. It is common to find bed bugs on mattresses, bedding and furniture but they can also be found in fittings and personal items, such as suitcases and children’s toys. However, it is their habit of feeding on the blood of people as they sleep that has earned them the name ‘bed bugs’. Seeing the human body as a food source they will take blood as people sleep in bed, leaving small bite marks where ...

Councils over the UK have undergone significant cuts to their yearly budget plans, with some councils reporting over 30% in budget cuts over the last five years. Pest control services have seen a few of the biggest budget cuts, with some councils totally eliminating any type of pest control solutions from the solutions that they use. A flexibility of info demand by the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) was embarked on, as well as the report revealed that councils are merely not dealing with as several pest control concerns, with some authorities seeing decreases by 22%. The record has likewise revealed that just 7% of neighborhood authorities are still using cost free pest control solutions as a result of absence of sources as well as budget cuts, which does not assist citizens in their time of demand. The report has actually also shown that only 7% of regional authorities are still supplying free of charge pest control services as a result of absence of sources and spending pl...

Consider a historic building and no doubt sash windows will spring to mind as a feature, but what is the history of sash windows? The popularity of sash windows spanned hundreds of years such was the success of the design. So comprehensive was the use of sash windows that, although slight changes were made at times, they appear in properties dating back to the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian times. Offering an excellent ventilation system and remarkable durability, updates to sash windows were largely a result of developments in glass manufacturing, rather than the window system itself. Who invented sash windows? The exact introduction of sash windows to the UK is not entirely clear – some credit the architect Robert Hooke with the invention owing to his work on resurrecting the capital city following the Great Fire of London in 1666. However, other evidence suggests the idea originated in Holland. What does seem to be agreed upon is that sash windows were based on Yorkshire light ...

Consider a historic building and no doubt sash windows will spring to mind as a feature, but what is the history of sash windows? The popularity of sash windows spanned hundreds of years such was the success of the design. So comprehensive was the use of sash windows that, although slight changes were made at times, they appear in properties dating back to the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian times. Offering an excellent ventilation system and remarkable durability, updates to sash windows were largely a result of developments in glass manufacturing, rather than the window system itself. Who invented sash windows? The exact introduction of sash windows to the UK is not entirely clear – some credit the architect Robert Hooke with the invention owing to his work on resurrecting the capital city following the Great Fire of London in 1666. However, other evidence suggests the idea originated in Holland. What does seem to be agreed upon is that sash windows were based on Yorkshire l...

Major alterations to a home generally need building consent but when it comes to renovating a period property the legalities can be more complicated. If a period property is in a conservation area, an area of outstanding natural beauty or is listed the restrictions about what can be done to renovate it are increased. Many alterations to more modern homes do require building regulations approval, but these can often be met by using a trader from the Competent Persons Register who can self-certify that major electrical work or window installations, for example, meet the criteria. It would only usually be in the event of making major alterations such as adding an extension where planning permission would be needed. When renovating a period property, however, the need to secure planning permission is applied much more widely as local authorities work to preserve the character of certain areas and buildings. Planning permission for period properties Your first responsibility in buyi...

Wasps can be an intolerable and dangerous pest if they decide to nest somewhere in your home, like your loft, garage or shed. So it’s useful to know when they are likely to start nesting and how the nesting and hibernation cycle can be affected by weather. So here at  PestBusters  we have put together a wasp fact file to help you know when to look out for wasps and their nests. Late September time is when wasps nest reach their maximum size and the new Queen and male wasps are produced. Nests can produce around 100 Queen Wasps every year. Mid to late April is when we begin to see wasps again as the re surface in search of food. For the first few weeks the Queen wasps are expected to fend for themselves feeding and gathering nest building materials before the worker wasps begin to join in the nest building process. So How Does Weather Affect This Process? The weather plays a big part in how successful the wasp season will be. If we take this year for example – wasps need a fairly cold...

This course approved by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) Training and Certification Working Group is designed to help people plan and carry out rat and mouse control. It is intended to provide a full working knowledge of both preventive and curative methods to be able to plan, implement and monitor a control programme that is appropriate to the situation, assessing and using the most efficient and safe methods and with due regard to the environment. This course provides an opportunity to gain an industry recognised certificate that will be a requirement for users from 1 June 2016. It is the responsibility of anyone carrying out rodent control to be familiar with the relevant legislation concerning the humane and effective management of rat and mouse problems. Whilst guidance is given during the course on the main legislation and its relevance to rodent control, it is essential that those engaged in pest control should keep up to date with changes in that may...